Fire-escape



(No Model.)

C. M. POWLER.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No.398,826. Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

Har 1 hir 1@ CHARLES ),l. FOWLER, OF

Trice.

ATnnT SALEM, MASSA@HUSETTS.

mee-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,826, dated March 5,1889.

Application tiled November 2l, 1888i Serial No. 291,480. (No model.l

To @ZZ whom t may concor/z.: Be it known that 1, Crnxntns M, FowLER, acitizen of the United States, anda resident of i Salem, in the county olEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usei fulimprovements in. Fi1re-llscapcs,oic which the following', taken inconnection with the accompanyingl drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in portable tire-escapes, and itcarried out as iollows, reference being` had to the accompanying'drawings, whereint Figure 1 represents a sectional iront elevation o1the device, shown 'the covering-plate as removed. Fig. 2 reprr yents across-section on the line X K, shown in Fig'. 1; and Fig'. 3 representsa cross-section on thc line Y-Y, also shown in Fig'. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on thedifferent parts of the drawings.

1 represents a metal case orbox, which may be of any desired size orform and provided with a detachable plate or cover, Q, as shown in thedrawings.

3 is the life-line, the upper end ol' which is to be secured in asuitable manner to the wini dow sill, casing, or other part olf thebuilding or furniture within the room when the device is to be used, andfor this purpose the upper end of said lite-line may be provided with ahook, ring, or other suitable or well-known fastening device, which is,however, not shown in the drawings. The life-line 3 passes looselythrough vertical perforations e and 5 in the upper and lower portions,respectively, of the oase 1 and cover 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, andit is to be made long' enough to extend from the place where it issecured to the ground, or nearly so.

Within the box 1 is pivoted at 6 the main brakedever 7, to the inner endof which is attached the rope or chain S, to which the person that is tobe lowered secured by means of a suitable belt or other device usuallyemp ployed in portable nre-escapes, such device being', however, notshown in the drawings. l The main brake-lever 7 has on its under sidetwo brake projections, 9 and 10, one on each i side of the fulerum 6, asshown in Fig. 1, the object of which will hereinafter be set forth.

L Below the brake projection tl is arranged witln in the case 1 thestationary projection 11, preferably provided with an upper concavesurface, as shown in Fig'. 1. ielow the brake projection l() isjournalcd within the case 1 on a pin-screw or rivet, 12, theguide-pulley 13, as shown in Figjs. 1 and 3. I prefer to guide the ropeat this place over the pulley, as shown; but this is not essential, as astationary pin or projection maybe used for this purpose withoutdeparting from the essence of my invention.

1i is another stationary pin or `guide proj ection within the case l,around which the lifeline 3 is guided, as shown in Fig. 1. To the outerend of the main brakedevcr 7 is attached the cord 15, having a suitablebutton or handle, 16, secured to its lower end, as shown in Fig'. l, bymeans of which the descending` person can manipulatethe said mainbrake-lever for the purpose ot' regulating' the frictional resistance onthe life-line, and thus to regulate and control the speed of the defscent, or stop it altogether, as circumstances may require.

17 is asecondary or auxiliary brake-lever pivoted at 1S to the case 1and provided in its outer end with a cord, 1 9, to the lower end ofwhich issecured a suitable handle or button, 20, as shown in Fig. 1, bymeans of which said auxiliary brake-lever can be manipulated for the4thereto, and when so suspended the weight of the party will cause theprojection 9 on the brake-lever 7 to press and bear on the lifeline 3,where it passes over the stationary proj ectiou 11, as shown in Figs. 1and 2, thus preventing the device from sliding` downward on the saidlifeline until the pressure of the brake-lever 7 is relieved, which isdoneby the IOO operator taking hold of the cord 15, and by pullingdownward on it causing the said lever 7 to be swung on its fulcruin il,and the pressure of the proj ection El on thelineS consequentlyrelieved, allowing' the device and the person attached to it togradually descend.

Should the operator pull too hard on the cord 15, the brake projection 9will be entirely, or nearly se, relieved from the line where it passesover the stationary projection 11, and the line will be compressed orheld between the brake projection lO and the pulley or proj ection 13.Should the operator while descending let go Vhis hold on the mainbrakelever cord 15, the brake projection 9 will be automatically pressedagainst the rope 3 Where it passes over the stationary projection 11 bythe Weight of the said operator, thus arresting the descent until thebrake-lever 7 is again manipulated, and so on. It Will thus be seen thatthe person descending has a perfect control of the device, can regulateat pleasure the speed of the descent, and can arrest the descent at anydesired place, in a manner as hereinabove fully set fort-h.

Although the lever 7 is sufficient for the purpose of regulating andcontrolli-ng the frictional resistance on the life-line 3, I prefer inpractice to use in connection Withit the auxiliary brake-lever 17,partly for the purpose of employing an additional means for braking onAthe life-line and thereby controlling and regulating the frietionalresistance on said line, and also for the purpose of balancing thedevice by enabling the operator to grasp with one hand the brake-levercord 15 and with the other the auxiliary brake-lever cord 1f), and byholding onto both, and thus manipulating both the mai u and auxiliarybrake-levers, a perlect control ot' the device is obtained.

Having thus li'ull y described the nature, con struction, and operationof my invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent, and elai 11i- 1.The herein-described lire-escape, consisting oi' the `frame 1 2, adaptedto slide on the life-line 3, and having rope-guides ll, I3, and 1l,combined with the brake-lever 7, pivoted to the traine and having thebrake projections 9 and 10, and the rope or chain 8, attached to saidbrake-lever, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The herein-described fire-escape, consisting of the frame 1 2,adapted to slide on the life-line 3, and having rope-guides 11, 13, and14, combined with the pivoted main brakelever 7, having the supportingrope or chain S attached to it and having the brake projections 9 10, asdescribed, and the auxiliary brake-lever 17, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nam e to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing Witnesses, on this 17th day of November,A. D. 1888.

CII'ARL'ES M. FO\\'LER.

Witnesses:

ALBAN ANDRN, CARL A. ANDRN.

